This invention is directed to a protection device capable of encasing the body portion of a padlock or combination lock to prevent usage of the same. Further the invention can serve as a container for keys to a door lock. When so used it is fixedly attached adjacent to the door lock allowing the key of the protection device to serve as a means for granting and denying accessability of the door lock keys.
In my prior application U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,240 I disclosed a knob protector which is used to prevent ingress and egress to a door having a door knob with a lock from an integral part of the door knob. This knob protector fit around the door knob in a clamping like manner and prevents insertion of the door knob key into the door knob keyhole by physically denying access to the keyhole. This knob protector has found considerable utility in those applications wherein one or a multiplicity of keys to said door knob had been distrubuted to persons whose access to the lock in the door knob now needs to be restricted.
While the above noted knob protector serves the function it was designed for in a very expedient manner, there are other instances where it is desirable to limit access to particular areas for which my prior knob protector is not useful. Certain apartments include a storage bin, garage or other area assigned to a tenant for their exclusive use for storage of certain items which cannot be suitably stored inside of their apartment. Normally such storage areas, garages and the like will be equipped with a latching device which can be locked by affixing a padlock, combination lock or other similar device to the latch. In certain instances it may be necessary or desirable to prevent the person having the key to the padlock, the combination or other opening means to the lock from being granted access to the storage, garage, etc. Since most of the latching devices used on these storage devices, garages, etc., will not accept a second lock, presently the only way to deny access to these areas is to physically by torch, hacksaw or bolt cutters sever or otherwise mutilate the existing lock and substituting a new one. This of course renders totally inoperable the lock and can be a time consuming process when the lock used is case hardened or the like.
Along with the above noted problem the need also exists in certain industries for conveniently storing a multiplicity of keys adjacent to their respective locks in a manner which allows access to each and every one of these keys by the use of a single key. An example of this would be a car lot wherein a variety of cars are located each having a different lock. Presently each morning the totality of keys necessary for each of the cars are taken from a centralized storage place and each individual car is unlocked and the keys placed in a standard location such as on the sun visor, under the seat, etc. It can easily be seen that this can be a very time consuming process if a large number of cars are involved. Further, there is a lot of wasted effort in this process since, in fact of the multiplicity of cars unlocked during a days business, only a few of them may actually ever be opened by a salesman, customer, etc. It is, of course, impossible to have one master key which fits all the individual locks on the automobiles since, especially in a used car lot, a variety of makes and models, both foreign and domestic, may be assembled.
In the real estate industry there is presently in use a device known as a lock box. These come in several shapes suitable for uses in different environments however, their use is almost centralized with the real estate industry because of the expense involved in manufacturing the same as well as the necessity to maintain strict control to keys opening the same to prevent unauthorized burglaries, etc. The presently known lock boxes are only useful for building doors and are incapable of being adapted for use on padlocks, combination locks, automobiles, cabinets, etc. Their use therefore is limited both by their costs and their lack of compatibility with padlocks and the like.